A closer look at the state-by-state returns shows why Republican strategists feel optimistic about the future:
Overwhelmingly Republican (60%+): Alabama (9), Alaska (3), Idaho (4), Indiana (11), Kansas (6), Kentucky (8), Mississippi (6), Nebraska (5), North Dakota (3), Oklahoma (7), South Dakota (3), Texas (34), Utah (5), Wyoming (3). Total: 107
Overwhelmingly Democratic: District of Columbia (3), Massachusetts (12), Rhode Island (4). Total: 19
Strongly Republican (55%-59%): Arizona (10), Georgia (15), Louisiana (9), Montana (3), North Carolina (15), South Carolina (8), Tennessee (11), West Virginia (5). Total: 76. Running total: 183
Strongly Democratic: California (55), Illinois (21), Maryland (10), New York (31), Vermont (3). Total: 120. Running total: 139
Republican Edge (52%-54%): Arkansas (6), Colorado (9), Florida (27), Missouri (11), Virginia (13). Total: 66. Running total: 249
Democratic Edge: Connecticut (7), Delaware (3), Hawaii (4), Maine (4), New Jersey (15), Washington (11). Total: 44. Running total: 183
Contested (Neither party above 51%): Iowa (7), Michigan (17), Minnesota (10), Nevada (5), New Hampshire (4), New Mexico (5), Ohio (20), Oregon (7), Pennsylvania (21), Wisconsin (10). Total: 106
In other words, a Republican candidate who holds onto every state in which George W. Bush got at least 52 percent of the vote needs to pick up a mere one-fifth of the electoral votes in the “battleground” states.
Electoral maps are, it must be observed, written in the clouds. Compare and contrast 1896 with 2004. Nonetheless, for a few election cycles at least, the GOP will begin the race for the White House with a decided head start.
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